Amnesia
by WinkiesAndLunacorns
Summary: When a tragic accident leaves human Private with no memory of his team or even being a penguin, how will the others learn to survive in their new form and get Private's memory back?
1. Human

**No, I don't own POM or its characters. (Otherwise Private would be the main character, of course!)**

Skipper and Rico turned to face the entrance as a small penguin practically fell inside the HQ. He slowly got up and groggily walked over to the table, his black and white feathers ruffled due to lack of sleep. There were dark shadows underneath the penguin's blue eyes.

"Private! How was the night watch?" called Skipper, waving him over.

"Tiring, but uneventful, Skippah." He sat himself down at the table, half-asleep already.

Private wondered if he should mention the dark shape he saw for an instant rustling in the bushes during the middle of the night. He decided not to. After all, it was probably just a stray cat or something. More likely it was caused by the sugary Winkys he ate. His head rested in his flippers, but jerked up in alarm when the door to the laboratory slammed open to reveal a triumphant Kowalski cradling some sort of machine.

"Eureka! It's done!" panted the scientist, who held up the machine for all to see.

Skipper and Rico stood up eagerly, their chairs grating against the floor of the HQ, and quickly waddled over to the scientist.

"You mean, the…" Skipper trailed off, thinking about what lay ahead.

"Yes!" squealed Kowalski.

Skipper and Rico crowded around him, all of them wanting to test it out.

"We need a test subject…" Skipper muttered. As soon as he said this, all three pairs of eyes turned immediately to the now slumbering penguin sitting at the table.

"Private!"

His shout awakened the soldier, who looked up at him through half-closed eyes. "Yes, Skippah?" he mumbled.

"Come' ere!"

X X X

Approximately thirteen and a half minutes later, Private stood, dazed, on a crude duct tape X outside of their habitat. He was wearing human clothes that lay in a pile around him that Rico had coughed up. ("Um, where did you get this stuff?" Private had asked. Skipper had looked at him with a knowing smirk on his beak. "Didn't you know, Private? Rico used to be a fashion designer!") He raised a floppy white sleeve at the ray pointed directly at him.

"Um, K'walski, are you sure this is safe?" he asked nervously.

"Sixty-nine percent!" said the scientist unconvincingly.

"And what, exactly, does this… invention of yours do?"

"Enough with the questions, young private, you'll find out soon enough," said Skipper impatiently. "Kowalski, fire this bad boy up."

"Aye aye, Skipper." He put on a pair of thick goggles that had been resting on his forehead, and the others followed suit.

"Initiating launch in three… two… one…" Private gulped audibly seconds before the blinding flash came.

Private opened his eyes, scared at what he would see. Well, so far he _seemed_ alright… Woah. He was way taller. The clothes fit. He had a bad feeling about this… Bracing himself, he looked at the rest of his body. He definitely wasn't a penguin anymore. When he discovered what had happened, he almost fell over in his shock. At the moment, he was hyperventilating.

"Sk-sk-sk-Skippah!" he cried frantically. "I'm…I'm a _human_!"

**A/N: Excuse the short and rather cliché chapter, the others will be longer. (And hopefully more original XD)**


	2. All According to Plan

"Sk-sk-sk-Skippah!" Private cried. "I'm a _human_!"

His scared outburst was replied with the sounds of the others high-fiving.

"Don't worry, Private, that was supposed to happen. Kowalski's been working on this for as long as I could remember. It's a ray that can turn us from penguins to humans and vice versa. We'll be spending the summer as humans to get used to it. Never know when we'll need a new disguise," explained Skipper.

Private started to calm down, and his heart started slowing down to normal. _Well, if he was_ supposed _to be like this_… He examined his pale hands as if he'd never seen anything like them before.

"Now that this ray has been deemed safe, it's our turns. Rico!" The heavyset penguin turned to Skipper. "Clothe us," Skipper announced.

Rico obediently coughed up outfits for the rest of the team. All of the clothes were similar to Private's: black tops with pictures of each penguin, an olive green military vest, dog tags, jeans, and various boots and sneakers. There were only a few differences in clothing. Private had a t-shirt over a white long sleeve, gray skinny jeans, and wore red converse. Skipper had a plain t-shirt, worn black jeans, and tall military boots. Kowalski was given a sweatshirt with rolled up sleeves, a pair of long black jeans, and a pair of shiny black professional shoes, and last but not least, Rico was equipped with a shirt with ripped off sleeves, dark blue jeans, and hiking boots.

Three short zaps later, the whole team was human. They visited the zoo's bathroom to check out their new appearances. What they saw shocked them all.

Skipper was around average height, had a muscular build, and had a strong square jaw, short black hair, and dark blue eyes. Kowalski was tall for a human and quite lanky, though he still appeared quite strong. He had curly light brown locks, a long, serious looking face, and blue-green eyes. Rico appeared the most muscular of them all. He was slightly taller than average, with a large build, a red Mohawk, and still sported his scar, which made him look tougher as a human. Private was slightly smaller than average height for his age, had little muscle showing even though he was skinny, and had a mop of dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes.

All of them could pass for being in their early twenties; save for Private, of course, who appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen.

"Well! Don't we look strange," commented Skipper. "But not bad looking," he added with a smile.

"I still can't believe it worked, to tell the truth," admitted Kowalski in awe.

Rico said something in the language only his team could understand.

"It _is _weird being a human, Rico," Private agreed.

"But!" Skipper interrupted their thoughts with a stern look. "Don't think that we'll be skipping training today just because we're human," he said, strolling up and down the line. "In fact, we'll have to train even _harder_ to get used to this new state. Let's move out!"

They started to leave the bathroom when Private interrupted.

"But Skippah, where are we going to stay? We can't possibly fit inside our old HQ anymore."

Skipper smiled, having already anticipated the boy's question. "We've already got it covered. Kowalski?"

Kowalski cleared his throat before continuing. "I've invented beforehand a machine that can enlarge our habitat for a short time. Forty-eight hours, to be precise. But this should be long enough for us to find a suitable shelter in the city. In fact, Rico's already looking into nearby apartments."

Rico nodded and coughed out a map with several apartments circled in red.

"Ah," Private said. "And why didn't you tell me about this whole plan beforehand?"

"Well, we couldn't go around telling just _anyone_," Skipper replied. "You're not high enough rank yet, _Private_."

"First Class," commented Private timidly.

The team filed out of the bathroom and went to their old habitat. Kowalski soon set to work enlarging it while the others trained nearby.

Skipper agreed to go against both Rico and Private, and the three wasted no time in waiting. Rico ran up to Skipper and started throwing heavy punches that Skipper swiftly dodged before delivering a quick blow to Rico's neck. He stumbled back while Private ran up from behind and kicked Skipper in the back. Skipper staggered forward and felt a shower of small punches from Private. Suddenly, he threw his arm in a wide arc that connected with the side of the boy's face with a loud slap. Private fell on his side and Skipper leapt on top of him and posed himself to strike. The boy winced and Rico started running towards Skipper, but he stopped him.

He got off of Private. "What was that? You should've been able to easily dodge that last hit, Private. You could've been dead right now."

Slowly Private got up. "I'm sorry, Skippah. I'm just… tired, that's all. You know how I get after night watches."

It was true. The boy was famous for his day-long naps after night watches. After all, to stay awake for the night, Private had to turn to eating boxes full of Winkys so the sugar rush would keep him awake. And after the rush came the breakdown. In fact, Skipper was honestly surprised that he had managed to stay awake this long.

Kowalski came out of the newly enlarged HQ, telling them that it was a success and that they had two days to find an apartment.

Skipper nodded. "Well, we can take a break from training for now. How about we get some snow cones to celebrate being human?"

Rico nodded his approval.

"You three go. I have to do a few touches on my latest inventions," said Kowalski.

"Actually, Skippah, I think I'll stay back, too," added Private. "I'd better catch up on my sleep if I'm to train more later."

As the penguins waved goodbye to each other, none were aware that a large gray shape watched from the shadows, one mechanical red eye glinting.


	3. It All Went Wrong

**First of all, I just want to say thank you to all the reviewers who make my day. :D**

Private clambered down the ladder after Kowalski when the others left. He dropped down and took in the new HQ. Of course, it looked exactly the same, but everything was bigger. Big enough for humans. Private picked up and examined his newly enlarged pillow before asking the question that had been bugging him.

"K'walski, why don't we just live here permanently if you can easily enlarge it?" he asked.

Kowalski looked back at the boy. "Hm? Oh. Well, I considered that in the beginning, but I have several good reasons not to. First of all, each enlargement zap uses a large amount of Megothium 239, which I have very little of at the moment. Second, it would look very suspicious if we hung around the habitat all day. Also, it would be _extremely_ hard to get in and out of the HQ with so many bystanders around."

Private yawned. "I see. Well, I suppose I'll be taking a nap now." He squeezed his pillow sleepily.

"Alright. I'll be in my lab if you need me, Private," Kowalski told him. The scientist gently closed the metal door to his lab behind him.

Private stretched and crawled into his bunk. He shifted several times in the concrete bed. It seemed so hard now that he was a human. However, he was already extremely tired… He let his heavy eyelids close and snuggled up with his Lunacorn. Of all the things that had changed, his Lunacorn had stayed the same, seeing as it was already the correct size. It comforted him, the way that there was still something familiar here when everything was changing so quickly.

Private soon fell asleep to the sounds of the zoo overhead and the small explosions coming from Kowalski's lab.

X X X

Skipper and Rico waited in what had to be the snow cone stand's longest line ever. Skipper impatiently looked to see how far the line stretched in front of them and gave out a small huff of disapproval.

"Of all days…" he muttered.

Rico took out a stick of dynamite from behind his back with a grin and motioned towards the others.

"Negative, Rico," said Skipper, although he almost wanted to.

Rico sighed and put the weapon away.

Neither of them knew that the people in front of them hadn't always been people… they were lobsters.

X X X

Kowalski quietly opened the door of his lab and peeked outside. Private was already curled up into a tired ball. Skipper and Rico hadn't come back yet, and all was quiet. The scientist ducked back into his lab and made a note in case one of his teammates noticed he was missing. Since none of them could read, he drew a picture of him going and getting a test tube full of extra Megothium 239. While he was writing it, he glanced around for the humanizing ray. _Nah, I probably just misplaced it. I'll find it later…_ He then exited the lab and stuck the note on his bunk so the others could see it.

Before leaving, the scientist took a last look at his sleeping comrade. Private was curled into a tight ball and clutched his Lunacorn and pillow. It was as if he was trying to block out all of the bad things in the world and keep all of the soft and warm things. Kowalski sighed and moved a stray lock of blond hair away from Private's face. _If only he could stay this young and innocent forever_…

He moved away and climbed up the ladder to get some Megothium. He set off at a run and hoped he wasn't too late to catch the next train to Brooklyn.

X X X

Private looked towards the figure to his left.

"Would you like some more tea, Princess Self-Respectra?"

The Lunacorn nodded.

"That would be sublime. Two sugar cubes, please."

The boy willingly obliged and handed her the elegant pink teacup.

"How about you, Prince-" Private stopped, listening.

There was a sound coming from above. Farther above than the soft pink clouds overhead that made the ceiling of his dream. An almost grating sound, like metal against concrete…

"What's wrong, Private?" asked a worried Lunacorn.

Private shushed her and listened. No, the sound wasn't coming from his dream. He quickly awakened himself without opening his eyes. Being a lucid dreamer came in handy sometimes.

With trained ears, he heard someone climbing down the ladder and obviously trying not to be heard. There was a soft click as the person's shoe touched the floor of the HQ. A million thoughts flashed through his mind. Was it Skipper and Rico, back from the park? Or was it Kowalski? Maybe he had taken a walk and now was trying not to wake him.

No. Their footsteps were those of a stranger's. But who would know how to get inside? Private tensed up, ready to strike. He cracked open an eye slightly enough so the person wouldn't notice but big enough for him to see through.

Who was this man? He had never seen him before, though his back was turned. Rather tall, classy, with graying blonde hair, but _something_ seemed familiar… Private relaxed as the man turned towards him so he appeared to be asleep. There was a strange smile on the stranger's face. But as he turned even more…

Private couldn't help it when he bristled. The man's other eye… it was mechanical! _Blowhole? But how did he…_The boy forced himself to relax again and he closed his eyes as Blowhole walked towards him.

"Well, what do we have here?" Private knew that silky voice anywhere.

"A little pen-gu-in that's not a pen-gu-in anymore…" The boy found it hard not to flinch when the man stroked the side of his face.

"Oh! And what's this?" Blowhole pulled the Lunacorn out of the seemingly sleeping boy's grasp. "Aren't you a little old to be playing with such silly toys?"

That did it.

Private lunged at Blowhole, knocking the startled man over. The Lunacorn landed with a thud and slid several feet away. The two struggled against each other and rolled around on the concrete floor before Private pinned his enemy down, grimacing.

"How did you get in here and why are you human?" he growled.

The boy was vexed by Blowhole's carefree smile.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

With one motion, the used-to-be-dolphin doubled up and kicked Private square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He then jumped up and cornered him near the wall.

"K'walski!" Private called out in vain.

"Your silly little pen-gu-in friend isn't here anymore. No one will save you," said Blowhole, motioning toward the note on the scientist's bunk. "Now, you can come the easy way or the hard way." He reached out his hand for the boy, but Private lunged out and bit down hard.

Blowhole screamed in pain as he shook off his attacker. The boy spat out the blood from his hand onto the floor. The man surprised Private with a demented smile and then let out a crazed laugh that frightened the boy out of his wits.

"Naughty, naughty," he shook his bloodied hand. There was a disturbingly off look in his blue-gray eyes.

"You… you've gone mad!" stammered Private.

"Well, spending a few years as _Flippy_ is enough to drive _anyone_ mad." Blowhole got closer to the boy's face with each word he said until they were almost nose to nose.

"It's time for _revenge_," he hissed.

Blowhole swiftly chopped down on Private's shoulder and the boy saw the world go black.


	4. Blowhole's Revenge

**Sorry for the shortness of this chapter! I've been busy and this is all I've been able to type up recently.**

**Also, thank you for all the reviews and favorites! They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :D**

Skipper and Rico climbed down the ladder, balancing colorful snow cones in their hands.

"Kowalski! Private! We're back! Sorry it took so long, there was a line," called Skipper. He looked around the empty HQ. "Hello?"

Rico stood next to him, puzzled, with syrup dripping down his muscular hands. "Whar K'walski an' Pri'ate?" he asked.

Skipper wandered over to Kowalski's bunk, where the note had caught his eye. "Looks like Kowalski went out to get some science stuff." He shrugged. "Private's probably with him. Well, there's no point in waiting for the others. These snow cones aren't going to eat themselves!" Without waiting for a response, he started licking the cherry syrup running down his hand. Rico shrugged and started on his grape-flavored-one.

They were interrupted by the scratch of metal on concrete as Kowalski clambered in, holding a vile of purple liquid.

"Oh! You're back," the scientist said, taking sight of the others. "Did you get me blue raspberry?"

Rico nodded, handing him the blue snow cone in his other hand.

Skipper looked at him strangely as Kowalski closed the lid behind him. "Where's Private? Isn't he with you?"

The tallest member furrowed his eyebrows and looked around as he licked the snow cone. "No, why? Isn't he here?"

"No," the leader started to look worried. He watched curiously as Kowalski walked over to something in the corner of the room and picked it up. The scientist showed him the pink object.

"Look, his Lunacorn. Why would he leave it lying around like that?"

Suddenly, Rico, rushed over to the opposite wall, throwing his arms in the air and pointing while letting out a stream of excited gibberish. The others came over to see what the maniac had found: a few drops of dried blood.

"Are those… Private's?" Skipper asked. He almost dropped his snow cone, having forgotten it in all the commotion.

Kowalski kneeled down and pulled out a small vile, into which he scraped a few blood samples. He rushed to his lab, and the others followed. They watched as he tinkered with it in various ways before turning to face them again.

"There's good news and bad news," he said, his face grim. "The good news: it's not Private's blood."

Skipper and Rico let out sighs of relief.

"The bad news: it's Blowhole's."

X X X

Blowhole was already waiting for them with a diabolical smirk as the team came crashing in.

"Where's Private?" demanded Skipper.

"Always so pushy, Skipper. Guards," the mad scientist snapped his fingers and guards overhead the human penguins quickly shot them all with tranquilizer darts before they had a chance to react. The team's expressions of fury soon turned to neutral as they collapsed in a pile.

Blowhole looked around. "That was easier than I thought it would be," he admitted. "Take them away. I want them to have front row seats when I get my revenge." The guards obediently jumped down and started dragging the men away.

"As for you," Blowhole said, looking at an unconscious Private evilly, "You get to be the main attraction."


	5. The Dilemma

Skipper woke up, his head throbbing. He groaned and tried to massage it, but found he was strapped to a chair, his hands tied behind his back with some kind of heavy technology-enhanced handcuffs that he couldn't seem to loosen. It was dark, but he made out that he was inside of a large glass cage, pipes pointing down from the ceiling. Skipper didn't know what they did, but he knew they couldn't be good.

He looked around to see the shapes of two of his teammates next to him.

"Psst. Kowalski, Rico," he tried to get their attention.

A voice from his left, Kowalski's, groaned. "Skipper? What happened?"

"Blowhole happened."

"Right."

"Help me wake up Rico. Rico!" Skipper whispered harshly.

After several calls from the pair, Rico started to awaken, moaning about some sort of headache.

"We need to get out of here, ASAP. Kowalski, op-" he was cut off by a dim light turning on and maniacal laughter.

"I see that you pen-gu- erm, humans," he corrected himself, "have awakened."

"Blowhole!" Skipper struggled against his handcuffs. Usually, handcuffs would be no match for him, as he could easily slide his flippers out, but now that he was human…

Blowhole stepped out of the dark, and Skipper saw his enemy as a human for the first time. "How…"

"Looking for this?" the villain held up the humanizing ray with a smile.

"The humanizing ray!" Kowalski gave out a startled outburst. "How did you manage to steal it?"

"It was easy," their captor said. "All I had to do was take it while most of you were training and the sorry excuse for a scientist was busy enlarging your HQ." The team scowled at him from behind the glass.

"Although I must applaud you on this one, dear Kowalski. Bravo. However, there are a few _defects_…" he smiled sickeningly at them before dropping the ray onto the floor, shattering it into a million pieces. Kowalski gasped.

"My ray!"

"Oh, what a shame…" Blowhole feigned innocence as he took in the debris. "Did I do that?"

Skipper grit his teeth as he glared at his enemy. "You've done enough today! Now _where is Private_!"

The used-to-be dolphin made eye contact with Skipper as he said, "Why do you have to be such a party pooper? But if that's how you're going to be…" he snapped his fingers and a transformed guard drew back an unnoticed curtain to reveal another glass enclosure, bigger than theirs, into which a figure was roughly shoved into by the goon.

"Private!" All three team members exclaimed.

The boy pressed up against the glass. "Guys!" His smile of relief was soon replaced when he backed away from the approaching guard.

Blowhole addressed him. "Now, Private, there's nothing to fear… or maybe there is." Private looked past him at the team, worry in his eyes.

The man strolled in between the two groups, talking to them both. "Now, used-to-be pen-gu-ins, it's about time for my revenge." He stopped to look at Skipper. "Again." He continued. "But this time, you will be given a _choice_. However, here are the rules: only one group may leave this place. The other, well…"

He looked at a guard standing by a wheel behind the threesome's prison. The guard nodded and turned it, and all of the team members looked up to see water rushing into the cage from the pipes above Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico.

"Guys!" Private rammed himself against the glass in a futile attempt to get to his teammates.

Skipper looked in alarm at the quickly increasing level of water. Already it was up to his mid calves. Rico cried out in protest, and all three struggled against their chains.

"It's no use. Those are state of the art handcuffs. Only the key can break their hold." Blowhole dangled the golden key in front of the glass, taunting them. "And now it is time to decide who will leave."

Skipper watched in horror as he turned to the opposite prison.

"Private, who will you choose?"


	6. The Choice

**Disclaimer: This chapter will contain violence! Read at own risk!**

"Private, who will you choose?"

Private looked helplessly at Blowhole from behind the glass. He saw his team's cage being filled more and more… the water was already to their laps. He heard the sound of their voices trying to persuade him to save himself, but he knew inside that there was always only one answer.

He had to save his team.

"Private! Don't do anything stupid!" Skipper yelled over the roar of the water.

"I know this is hard, but you've got to save yourself!" Kowalski added.

"Don' w'rry 'bout us!" called Rico.

All three tried to sound confident for the boy, but all of them knew that there really would only be one group leaving Blowhole's lair today. Private had known his team for most of his life, and he knew that underneath they were scared. Terrified.

"Blowhole! Just take us! The boy never did anything to you!" Skipper pleaded.

"Wrong," their enemy held up his now bandaged hand, still stained with dried blood. "Now choose." His voice was venomous.

Private slumped to his knees, arms raised above his lowered head in defeat. "Take me as your prisoner. Let them go."

"Private! No!" his team called their protests and he felt hot tears pricking at his eyes.

Blowhole smiled and snapped his fingers, and the guard turned off the water that was now chest-high. "Noble, courageous little Private. Giving himself up for his team members. But who said anything about prisoners?"

With a sudden movement, the guard in Private's cell grabbed the boy by the neck and thrust him against the wall, several inches off the ground. Private's eyes widened in shock and he struggled against his captor, clawing and kicking, but to no avail. The muscular guard was covered in armor through which he felt nothing.

"Private! Let him _go_, you madman!" Skipper was blinded by anger and pulled against the handcuffs with all his strength.

Private heard someone call his name, but was unable to tell who. Perhaps it was because all of the air had been forced out of his lungs, or maybe because black spots started to dance across his vision. With all the strength he could muster, he chopped down on the goon's shoulder in an attempt to knock him out. Nothing happened.

The guard grabbed his arm in his meaty hand and clucked disapprovingly. With a sharp jerk to the side, he snapped the boy's arm in half like a twig.

The team heard Private's bloodcurdling scream and became more frantic. Skipper felt as if his hands were going to fall off, they were so sore. But that wasn't important. What was important now was saving his comrade, who already had shadows of blue creeping up his face.

Blowhole stared, uninterested. He waved his arm dismissively. "Finish him off."

The guard's hot breath whispered, "It's nothing personal." With his free arm, he reached towards his belt.

Private heard his team screaming his name before there was a slash of his captor's other arm and excruciating pain. His eyes widened and he coughed out blood before slumping to the ground, released from the grasp. He choked for air while he tried to look at the damage done to his body. _That can't be good…_

"Well, now that I've had my revenge, I'll be going now. Good luck with that. Toodles!" Blowhole waved and sunk into the ground on a trapdoor with his accomplices.

There was a beep and the team was released from their handcuffs and the four glass sides of their prison fell down, water splashing everywhere. The team didn't even care anymore.

Skipper immediately rushed over to the open cage where Private was, the others right behind him. They ran over to where a small body lay still on the ground in the corner.

Private was laying in a pool of his own blood, startlingly crimson against his pale skin and hair. There was a long slash through the boy's stomach, and his clothes were soaked in the dark red liquid. Blood trickled out of his mouth. There was so much blood. More than there had been when Manfredi and Johnson had…

"Oh god, oh god," Skipper choked out as he knelt down by his team mate and lifted the boy's head. Rico was clawing at his hair behind him and Kowalski stood further back, frozen in his shock.

Private only dimly heard his leader and his head being moved. He cracked open his eyes. Skipper was calling 911 on a cell phone Rico had produced, running his hands through his hair and trying to hold back tears.

"Skippah?" His hand twitched and he let out a weak cough.

"Private…" Skipper's eyes were brimmed with tears. "You're going to be okay. You can pull through. You've got to." Of all the things he could've said, he chose to dwell on false hope.

Rico knelt down on his other side and tried to staunch the bleeding with his hands.

"Can you cough up any supplies, Rico?" Skipper asked.

"Na' as a hooman. Ce'phone wa' in pocket." He pointed to a pocket on his vest.

With grim determination, Skipper ripped off a piece of his shirt and did his best to bandage the boy. He failed. After all, Private had been the one designated to train to be a medic one day.

Private looked up to find that the hot tears falling on him were dripping down the faces of his team members.

"Why can't I do this right? I should've thought more about this stuff, trained us to be able to at least be able to use a stupid bandage-" Skipper stopped to cover his eyes with a bloody hand, his body heaving in rare sobs. He looked down at the boy when he felt his hand pat his own.

"Skippah, it's okay. It's okay." He was being comforted by Private. Shouldn't it be the other way around? "Skippah, Rico, Kowalski, I just… wanted you to know that I love you guys like brothers…" Private had tears streaming down his face. He was losing consciousness, black clouding over his vision. "It's been an honor."

He gave a weak salute before everything turned dark.

X X X

Skipper watched as Private closed his pale blue eyes.

"No, no, no, no." The leader gently shook the boy's small body. When nothing happened, he shook harder. "No! Private! Answer me, soldier, you've got to get up!"

Rico looked sadly at him, shaking his head. Tears streamed down his scarred face.

"Private! Please! Say something, anything! You can't be dead, you can't be!" Without thinking, Skipper slapped Private. And again. And again.

Sobbing, he hugged the boy to him, not caring about the warm blood seeping through his clothes. It had been the first thing he had learned at the Academy. In fact, he could still hear his commanding officer drilling it into his head. _Soldiers die. Get over it._ And he had. He had lost Manfredi and Johnson, hadn't he? And he had gotten over them, hadn't he? But Private… not Private. Not the sweet, naïve kid that he had recruited into his team and had somehow wriggled his way into his stony heart. Not Private.

Kowalski stood from afar, watched the whole thing without really being there. He had seen Rico and Skipper's failed attempts at bandaging Private, the wounded soldier comforting his leader, and finally…

He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be.

If he hadn't gone out to get that stupid Megothium, none of this would have happened. Private wouldn't be… wounded, the ray would still be in one piece, and they'd all be having snow cones.

Kowalski was still numb when he heard the sirens. He was jostled by the paramedics as they rushed over, looking over Private and urgently communicating through their walkie-talkies. But suddenly, when he saw them taking away Private on a stretcher, something snapped.

Skipper watched, shocked, as a frozen Kowalski came to life, yelling and lunging at the paramedics, demanding to stay with Private. He snapped at the guards who tried to restrain him and wouldn't stop until he was loaded into the back of the ambulance with the boy.

As they drove away, Rico and Skipper took the offer of an escort to the hospital in a police car. The leader looked absentmindedly out the window as he recalled Kowalski's face, stained with fury and tears.

In all of the years they had known each other, Skipper had only seen Kowalski as frantic as that once before, with Doris.

_He must love Private a lot._


	7. Guilt

**A/N: Important notice! I will be on hiatus until late June since I will be unable to access a computer. Sorry about that. : ) Hope you keep reading nonetheless!**

Kowalski looked at his two teammates sprawled on the chairs of the waiting room beside him. They had arrived a few minutes after he had, and had said with firm determination that they would all stay awake in case they got news about Private's surgery. They never did. They waited minutes after minutes, hours after hours… Until he was the only one left awake.

Kowalski stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock. It was around two in the morning. He couldn't fall asleep… it was all his fault anyway. He buried his face in his hands. _It's my fault… All my fault._

_Why did I have to make that _stupid_ humanizing ray? Like we would ever really need to be humans… Heck, we're not even real agents! It all started way back then, just a silly little game to keep us from going insane from being cooped up in the zoo…_ He straightened and gave a bitter laugh. _We're already insane, aren't we? I mean, what kind of penguins pretend to be commandos anyways? We really went too far with the game, making _real_ enemies like Blowhole. In fact, I'm not sure if Skipper and Rico even remember that it's not real anymore…Of course, Private truly believes that we are. He never knew… Oh, Private. Why does everything lead back to you? I'm so sorry, so sorry…_

_It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt._

Kowalski turned quickly at the sound of someone's voice.

"Um, excuse me, are you here for…" he flipped a few pages in his clipboard. "…erm, Private Adelie?"

The scientist stood up. "Yes. Is his operation done?"

"Yes, the operation was successful – he received ninety-three stitches on his stomach. Also, he has a broken right arm and a bruised neck and esophagus. With hope, he should be out of here within a few months. However, he is suffering from trauma, and side effects may occur – we suggest a lot of rest and perhaps therapy to help him through."

"Thank you. May I see him?"

The doctor hesitated and looked at his sleeping companions. "A lot of people may not be ideal for-"

"It would just be me." Kowalski's eyes pleaded.

"Well, all right. Just as long as you remain-" By the time the doctor said "quiet," he was already gone, rushing down the halls to see Private.

_Skipper's gonna kill me for not waking him up, I know, but just this one time I need to see him for myself._

He creaked open the door and peeked inside. His heart immediately fell.

"Private?" he whispered.

He was barely recognizable. Other than being a human, of course, he was resting on a bed, a casted arm hanging out of the achingly white sheets. There was an oxygen mask on his face, and there were so many tubes and machines attached to him that Kowalski wondered if it could be any worse.

But the worst thing was his face. It was so pale and innocent, his blond hair pushed aside… it made his teammate want to break down all over again. How could someone like _that_ deserve to be like _this_? His eyes were closed peacefully and his breaths were so small that he almost looked as if he were-

No, he wasn't dead. The small beeps on the monitor proved it.

Kowalski sighed and took a seat. He guessed that there was nothing to do but sit and wait for Private to get better… he never noticed when he dozed off to the steady ticking of the clock and the reassuring beeps coming from his comrade's heart monitor.

_He watched, smiling, as the penguin took the brightly wrapped box from him._

"_For me? K'walski, you shouldn't have…" They could hear the happiness in Private's voice, echoing inside the HQ._

"_Don't thank me," he said. "It was Skipper's idea and Rico got it."_

"_Thank you Skippah! You too Rico!"_

_Their leader was smiling, but said gruffly, "Enough with the dilly-dally. Just open it." But you could tell he was pleased._

_They watched excitedly as Private tore off the striped blue and purple paper and open the box. He gasped before lifting out a small purple horse._

"_A Lunacorn! Thank you so much!" The small penguin's smile was enough to make the stressful last two days getting his present worth it._

_Before any of them had a chance to react, Private had pulled the team into a bear hug, making the usually unaffectionate team sappy. But it wasn't an awkward hug, no. In fact… it was sort of nice._

"_This is the best birthday evah."_

Kowalski awoke when the beeping from the monitor grew faster. He looked around with a start before realizing where he was and what was happening. His eyes widened in fear. _What's going on?_

The boy gave a weak cough and opened his eyes. It was too bright… everything was pure white. He turned when he heard talking. There was someone in the room with him. Tall, curly brown hair, a worried look on his face.

"Private! You're awake! Thank god, I was so worried." The boy shrank back as the man started walking towards him, arms stretched forward to hug him. "I'm so sorry about what happened, I never meant-"

Kowalski almost got to hugging Private before he was stopped by an outstretched hand. Startled, he looked at the boy. His blue eyes stared with confusion at him, as if he was a stranger.

"Who are you?"


	8. Shock

**Hooray! I'm back! Thank you loyal readers who are still following! :D (If there are any left.)**

"Who are you?" Private asked, all traces of a British accent gone. Kowalski's heart plummeted to the ground and shattered into a million pieces when he heard these three simple words. There was a short moment of silence while the confused boy took in his surroundings and his comrade's world fell apart.

"And why am I here?" Private took off the oxygen mask covering his face and tried to get up, wincing at the pain from his stomach. The man standing nearby seemed alarmed by the quickening of the heart monitor beeping. The boy examined the long scar on his stomach closely, taking in the dried blood and numerous stitches. "How did I get this?" he murmured, more to himself than the stranger.

He took off the sheets and yanked out all the IVs and tubes attached to him before shakily getting to his feet, ignoring the intense pain shooting through his body. He had always been a fighter, and a little injury couldn't stop him.

The man shook his head and started towards the boy. "Private, wait. I don't think that's such a good idea!"

The boy looked intensely at the shocked man standing before him. _Private… was that my name? Then who is he? _He couldn't place it, but something seemed familiar… then it clicked.

Kowalski watched as Private's concentrated expression slowly turned startled. His clear blue eyes stared at him for a long time in amazement and disbelief before embracing him in a giant bear hug.

"I thought you were dead," He whispered. There was a long pause before Private let go and looked up at him, tears of relief in his eyes. "Long time no see, Uncle Nigel." The scientist had a million thoughts running through his head. Everything was moving so fast… _He thinks I'm Nigel? Oh boy…_Kowalski shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to focus on the present. Private needed him. He quickly followed the boy out of the door and into the empty halls.

"Private, wait!" He caught up with the boy, who was looking ahead.

There were two figures coming towards them. As they came, closer, Kowalski recognized Skipper and Rico. They were both furious that he hadn't woken them up, but their faces softened as they saw Private and ran forward to hug him.

"Private! Why are you out of bed?" The leader tackled the boy in a giant bear hug and scowled at Kowalski over his shoulder.

"Pri'ate! Yure okay!" Rico ruffled his blonde hair and grinned widely.

A confused and rather alarmed looking Private backed away slowly and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, but do I know you? Are you Nigel's friends or something?" He had a strange edge to his voice, wary of the newcomers.

Skipper's eyes widened in shock. _Why doesn't Private remember me? And what happened to his fake British accent? Who's Nigel? His uncle? Kowalski has a lot of explaining to do…_

He looked at his tall teammate who was standing behind the boy, eyes narrowed. He wanted answers. Now. 'Amnesia,' Kowalski mouthed. The leader couldn't believe it.

"You don't remember me?" he asked. His heart fell as Private shook his head. "How about Rico?" Another no.

"I'm sorry about that, but I really should be going…" Private bit his lip nervously. _They looked just like _them_…Could it be? The enemies he had tried to forget since that terrible day in the Arctic…Did they recognize him? Were they planning on finishing off what they had started?_

Kowalski and the others watched, confused and worried, as the boy started backing away slowly before suddenly sprinting down the hall. Immediately the three took off after him.

"Private! Wait! Come back!" the scientist called after him, amazed at how fast the boy could run, especially with his injuries. _Why is he running? What is he afraid of?_ He had only seen that frightened expression whenever Private mentioned badgers, his worst fear.

_Could he be afraid of… _us_?_

He skidded to a stop and halted the others. "Wait." He panted to catch his breath, watching hopelessly as Private vanished around a corner. Skipper and Rico glared at Kowalski for making them lose their target but slowed to a stop nonetheless. "I think I know what's wrong.

"As you might have figured out, Private seems to have a bad case of amnesia," he started, his breathing returning to normal.

"Duh. Your point," Skipper said bluntly, arms crossed.

"Well, seeing as he has no memory of us as team mates or even acquaintances, with amnesia, he _should_ be at neutral ground with us. However, he seems to be afraid of us. I have reason to believe that something about us triggered an unpleasant memory in Private, and now he sees us as hazards. Well," he coughed. "He sees _you _as hazards. Apparently he thinks _I'm_ his Uncle Nigel."

"Then what should we do?" asked Skipper.

"I would recommend staying low until you regain Private's trust," concluded Kowalski. "Don't do anything that might scare or alarm him. We want to establish that we're on his side. So let me do most of the talking. Got it?"

Skipper huffed, obviously unpleased about giving up his leadership and not being able to help Private. But if it would help the boy… "Alright."

Kowalski nodded, surprised by his leader's cooperation. "We'd better catch up with him. He can't have gone far…" He jogged down the hall and rounded the corner, where an elevator stood. The others were close behind. He pressed the down button and all three were startled when the door opened to reveal an unconscious Private, slumped on the floor.

"He has _got_ to stop doing that."


	9. Painful Memories

**Thanks for all the reviews and feedback! It's nice knowing that there are still readers out there. :)  
**

_It was cold. Freezing._

_ Private's beak chattered as he shook his uncle, the tears starting to freeze on his cheeks. _

_ "Uncle Nigel, wake up! Nigel!"_

_ The large penguin groaned as he woke up and was met with immediate excruciating pain from his stomach. His vision was blurry, but it was clarifying slowly… He saw white. Lots of white. And lots of red, too. Some other bird was leaning over him, a grieving mess. His nephew, Private._

_ "Private?"_

_ He looked at his stomach and saw a huge blood soaked gash. "Private, what's happening?"_

_ "Nigel, it's Blowhole. He was here. He was supposed to be here but left us in his place and injured you so that you can't escape! Uncle, they planted a bomb." The smaller penguin's voice was terrified. Hysterical almost._

_ "A bomb?" Nigel was suddenly more alert. "Who? Where?" He propped himself up on his flippers despite the indescribable pain from his wound. He saw that they were in an igloo, on the snow. A heavy snowstorm howled outside. The Arctic?_

_ "The badgers! There were three furry brown creatures and they planted a bomb right outside the igloo! It was meant for Blowhole, but-" Private was cut off by a choked sob._

_ Nigel became grim. He looked at his nephew. "When's it supposed to go off?"_

_ Private wiped at his tears. "We have about a minute left. We have to go. I'll carry you, Nigel."_

_ The large penguin looked away. He never imagined it would be like this… He faced Private again and put a flipper on his nephew's shoulder, determination set on his face. "Listen to me, Private. You have to go."_

_ "No! I can't leave you!" The small penguin clutched at Nigel's flippers desperately._

_ "Listen, lad, listen! You need to get out of here, now. Belly slide out of here as fast as you can, do you hear? Don't look back, just go." His voice was firm as he instructed his nephew over the sound of his sniffles and protests. "Private. Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be alright. What's important now is that you run as fast as you can."_

_ He softened at the heart broken look on Private's face. He was such a sweet kid, and he had already lost so many… He hated to leave him, but this was the only way the lad could make it out alive._

_ His voice softened. "Chin up, soldier. We'll meet again, I promise. Just remember that I love you no matter what, Private. I'm proud of you." He smiled to his nephew's teary blue eyes, giving him all the confidence and strength he could._

_ "Now get out of here."_

_ Private slid out of the igloo, leaving a trail of silent tears behind him. He had to get to the water, where he could take shelter from the explosion. He didn't have much time left. The icy winds ruffled his black and white feathers as he sped along. There was a small gray shape slumped on the ice, close to the water's edge. A young leopard seal, only a bit older than a baby. From where it was sleeping, it didn't stand a chance._

_ Private swerved into its path and collided head on, forcing them both into the water. _Will you thank me later?_ He wondered. Seconds after he hit the water, he felt the explosion, chunks of ice hitting the ocean. Hot tears mingled with the saltwater. _Nigel…_ He surfaced after the explosion, flopping onto the ice._

_ Past the smoke, he could make out three furry shapes in the distance…He squinted. Badgers…Or not? Squinting, Private thought he saw the creatures remove their coats to reveal slick black and white bodies. One tall and skinny, one medium sized with unruly feathers, and one short and flat-headed. They all hi-fived before belly sliding away._

_ Penguins?_

_ Either way, he felt rising fear and hatred. They killed his uncle. They killed Nigel. He felt something else rising too and Private lost his lunch._

_ Nearby, the leopard seal coughed. She looked at Private, emotions swirling and bubbling inside. She didn't know if she should be angry or scared or thankful. Or just plain confused. The leopard seal came out onto the ice, gray coat shining._

_ "A heads up would've been nice too," she said, smiling after deciding to go with thankful. "So, you wanna tell me why I almost got blown up?" She looked at her rescuer, whose eyes were downcast._

_ "Not really," said Private. "It wasn't meant for you anyway. Just forget about it." He sniffed and felt more tears coming._

_ "Hey, you okay?" she scootched a bit closer._

_ "Yeah." _

_ "Well, thanks for saving me anyways. Name's Hunter, by the way."_

_ The penguin nodded. "Private."_

_ "Well, that's a funny name."_

_ There was silence._

_ Hunter coughed. "If there's anything I can do to repay you for, you know, saving my life and all that, I'd be happy to do it."_

_ Private was silent for a moment, lost in thought. It's time to start fresh. "Actually, Huntah, I would be grateful if you swam me out to that furthest ice block over there." He motioned towards a small chunk of ice on the horizon. He could easily swim there on his own, but he didn't like having debts owed to him._

_ "Well sure thing! Hop aboard," Hunter exclaimed, taking the smaller bird on her back and diving into the icy Arctic water. She sped towards the white block of ice and reached it in no time._

_ Private climbed onto the ice. "Thanks."_

_ "No prob. I should be thanking you for saving my life. Anyways, I'd better be getting back. My dad's waiting. See you around, Private!"_

_ "Bye Huntah!" The penguin smiled and waved at the disappearing silver tail._

_ Neither would remember ever knowing the other years later, when they met again. _

_ Private drifted for months, years maybe, deciding to start life anew wherever the wind took him. He hitchhiked on boats, floated on ice chunks, swam through rivers, and eventually made his way to New York, where he wandered for a while before allowing himself to be captured and taken to a zoo, where he would reside in comfort._

_ There he met his beloved uncle's murderers._

Of course, Private didn't remember any of that last part. He only remembered up to the point where he wandered without purpose, lost without his best friend and guardian. He never remembered meeting Skipper, Kowalski, or Rico. He only remembered the fresh pain of waking up every day and realizing all over again that Nigel was dead.

So that's why, when he woke up in his hospital bed again, seeing sleeping Kowalski nearby was like a dream come true. He hugged the man he thought to be his uncle, awakening and definitely startling him. Private felt his world was finally complete again. All those months of searching, searching for someone you thought you knew you'd never see again…

"It's so good to have you back, Uncle Nigel," he said, voice overflowing with happiness and emotion.

Kowalski let out an inaudible sigh and hugged Private back.

_But when are we going to get _you_ back, Private?_


	10. The Victor

Blowhole settled back in the plush red booth, stirring his drink contentedly before taking a long sip. People of all shapes and sizes chattered busily around him, taking notice of nobody but themselves. _Stupid humans,_ he thought._ All of that wasted potential. _He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and sighed happily. He had finally gotten revenge on his sworn enemies. He had finally succeeded, for once in his life.

Now that he had severely weakened the penguin team by taking them by surprise and getting at their soft spot, he had plenty of time to plan new evil plots. And there was nobody to stop him. As a human, he could finally access everything the world had to offer! Things that would've been impossible for a dolphin to even _dream_ of doing, even _if_ he was an evil genius capable of doing more than most _humans_ could boast of. Blowhole chuckled softly to himself. Who would have thought that Skipper could be taken down so easily? The once-great leader had turned soft. His whole team crumbled as soon as he took out the boy.

"I should have done this years ago," he muttered, smiling to himself.

Blowhole grabbed his glass and downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp. The place was crowded, and nobody noticed as he walked away from the unpaid-for table, nefarious plans already forming in his mind.

**Sorry for the super short filler chapter! Trying to see where this story is taking me… Oh, and BTW, no, Blowhole won't be appearing much after this. (He's got better stuff to do, like plan world domination. :P)**


	11. A New Home

**And now: adventures in real estate! :D**

Skipper and Rico rang the doorbell of the large house, the leader tapping his foot impatiently. Now that Private was in the hospital, the team knew that they would need a larger living space for when the boy got out. They abandoned the apartments they had researched, seeing as they were all too small.

While Kowalski stayed with Private, the remaining two set out to look for spaces they might be able to rent. Halfway through their search, Rico had found an ad for an available empty cottage by the zoo. As soon as Skipper saw it, he grabbed his team mate and caught a bus to the place.

Now they were standing outside the house of the owner. A child's voice could be heard from inside, calling for her mom to get the door. Someone walked over, saying something to the girl before unlocking the door and opening it to see the two men standing outside.

"Hi!" she said cheerily, taking in the strangers. One was slightly shorter than average, with a serious and grim scowl set on his face. The other was medium-height, muscular, scarred, and rather intimidating. He tried to smile at the little girl, who squealed in fear and hid behind her mother.

"Um, hi, are you…" Skipper looked at the ad. "Nancy?" The woman was young, maybe late twenties to early thirties. She had dirty blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in a straight curtain, a nice figure, warm-colored simple clothing, and a friendly smile.

"Yeah! Are you here for the cottage?"

"Affirmative," Skipper confirmed, shaking her hand. "Oh! Right, my name is Skipper and this is Rico." Rico gave a small smile and wave.

"Nice to meet you," Nancy said politely. "Let me get my keys. The cottage is right in the back." She disappeared for a moment, leaving the girl to hide behind the door.

Skipper didn't notice her until she peeked out. "Hey, kid, what's your name?"

She squeaked and ducked behind the solid brown wood again, blonde pigtails flying. Nancy came back, the keys jangling in her hand. The girl came over to hug her legs, blue eyes trained on the scary-looking men at the door.

"Cilla, not now," she said, separating the child's chubby arms from her legs. "I'm sorry," Nancy addressed Skipper. "She doesn't talk much, but this is my daughter, Priscilla. Say hi, Cilla."

Priscilla mumbled something before darting back behind the door.

Skipper laughed. "It's alright. She'll grow out of it," he said, remembering how Private had refused to talk to them the first few weeks when he arrived at the zoo. "Rico doesn't talk much either." He recoiled as he got punched by his friend.

"Right this way." Skipper and Rico followed Nancy and Priscilla around the house to their backyard.

"Quite the gardener, huh?" He said, taking in the emerald green grass, trimmed with vibrant flowers and decorative rocks. Small trees bordered the fence, shading a small bench and a few swings. The path they were walking on was surrounded of blooming plants of all sorts and colors. Priscilla ran over to the trees to sit on a swing. _Private would've loved this,_ Skipper thought.

"Oh, yeah," Nancy laughed. "It's become quite a hobby of mine recently. It helps me relax when I'm not working." She inserted a small silver key into the cottage door.

"Yeah? What do you do?" Skipper asked, staring in awe at the cottage. It looked like a dollhouse, or something on that Lunacorn show that Private always watched. It was painted a creamy white, with trimmings of pale blue. Flower pots adorned the windows and steps. Ivy crept up the sides of the walls and the small veranda, complete with a bench-swing. Rico whistled.

"I'm an architect," Nancy answered as she ushered them in. The interior was just as amazing as the outside. Skipper entered the main room, where two plush couches faced a small coffee table and flat screen TV. His hand ran along the back of a cushion, recently fluffed. He and Rico were then ushered into the adjacent kitchen, complete with two stoves, a fridge, counter, microwave, lots of cupboards, and a wooden table with four chairs.

Continuing on, there was a tiny hallway with two doors. One opened to reveal a bathroom, and the other was an empty workspace. _Kowalski could set up his lab here._ Then there was the bedroom, which had two bunk beds, one on either side of the room. In between was a little table and chair that looked out to a window. A hammock hung near the foot of the beds.

Rico smiled and sat on the hammock, swinging gently. Skipper stared in disbelief at everything. _This place is perfect! It's like it was made for us,_ he thought.

"So, what do you think?" Nancy asked.

There were only three words on his mind, no doubt. "We'll take it."


	12. A Dark History

Private woke up and saw Kowalski sitting in a chair next to his bed , flipping through the channels. His 'uncle' finally put the remote down when he reached The Science Channel, where a document was playing about penguins. The man chuckled and crossed his arms, watching it with interest and faint amusement.

"What's so funny, Uncle Nigel?" Private asked, propping himself up against the fluffy white pillows.

Kowalski almost tipped over in his chair. "Oh! Private, you're up! Um," he fumbled with the remote. "We can watch the Lunacorns or something, if you'd like." He switched through the channels until he found a show with brightly colored unicorns that had ridiculous names.

"Uh, thanks?" the boy said hesitantly. _Aren't I a little old for this?_ He had been perfectly fine with the penguin documentary. In fact, he had sort of enjoyed it. He had always liked the adorable black and white birds.

Private leaned back, staring at the screen. _Why are we watching this again?_ He wondered. It was a children's show, capable of only entertaining babies! Nobody else could ever enjoy such blindingly bright colors, generic characters, and amateur plotlines. Not to mention the cheesiness. He could practically make nachos with this stuff! The boy glanced over at his guardian. He didn't have the greatest view towards his face, but there was no way the man was enjoying it. Nigel was acting like he was doing it out of obligation.

Private reached over and took the remote from the foot of the bed and switched it back to the documentary. Nigel turned towards him, a genuinely startled expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, we're you watching that? I can change it back if you'd like." He scrambled to get the buttons for the Lunacorn channel before his uncle stopped him.

"No, no. That's okay. I was just… surprised." Kowalski turned back to the screen displaying the waddling birds. He reminded himself, _Private has amnesia. His interests might change a bit, I guess. After all, he can't remember what he likes and dislikes. _Still, he was having trouble getting over the fact that the boy had turned away from his favorite show. Make that his ex-favorite show.

"Penguins are interesting birds, eh Nigel?" He turned to see the boy's bright smile. _He doesn't remember a thing… Even his accent. Skipper was right. It was fake, a disguise this whole time._

Kowalski realized something then, something that haunted him thoroughly and sent shivers up his spine. _But then, if his accent is a complete fake… what else is, too? _The scientist looked back at the boy, with his innocent grin and earnest blue eyes. _He could be making up everything… and we wouldn't even know it._ Kowalski felt the truth hitting him like a ton of bricks. Part of him was trying to convince himself that it was all a paranoid idea, some silly little notion conceived by his worried brain.

But the other part knew that the boy could really be a complete stranger. Private could've thrown away his past long ago and made a new alias. _Just like Mr. Tux._ That encounter with the Amarillo Kid proved just how little Kowalski and his team members knew about the boy's past. What if he wasn't the innocent, naïve, adorable, lovable, down-to-earth person that they thought they knew? After all, he was part of the military. All of them had their share of hidden pasts, secrets, and pseudonyms. The scientist had seen the numerous files containing Skipper's aliases. Private could have just as many. Maybe even more.

When Kowalski turned back to Private, the boy could see the distant look of fear in his blue-green eyes. "Private, what do you remember?"

_Is this a trick question? _The boy put on a smile, confused, and asked, "Why? What am I supposed to remember?"

"I'm serious. Tell me all that you know." Private could see that Nigel really wasn't joking, and the smile dropped off of his face. The man took the remote and turned of the TV, waiting for his team mate's answer.

He leaned back into the pillows and cleared his throat. "Let's see… where should I start?"

"The beginning."

"All right then, my life story it is." Private paused to see if the man really wanted him to proceed, but when Nigel kept looking at him expectantly, he continued. "Well, I honestly don't remember my parents, but you've told me a lot about them. You said that mum, your sister, had been three years younger than you. You said that she appeared delicate and sensitive if you didn't know her, but on the inside she was really strong of heart and courageous. She loved music and going on adventures, and tagged along with you and your best friend whenever you went out and caused trouble. Your best friend also happened to be dad. He was the same age as you, slightly younger, and loved mischief making as much as you and mum. He was the most stubborn out of all of you, and was also extremely loyal towards his friends and family.

You three grew up together, and it wasn't until years had passed that you discovered that you wanted to go out on new adventures. So you joined the army. The trio became privates in a local military unit, and shortly after enrolling, dad proposed to mum. You were shocked at how fast everything was going, even though you knew dad had fallen for your sister. However, you gave the couple your approval and they got married a few months later. After about half a year of being in the army, mum resigned after revealing that she was several months pregnant. You and dad were both extremely happy, and vowed to live to see the baby. Why? Because a war was going on. Dad didn't keep his vow, though. A month after mum left, he was killed by a hand grenade."

Private paused, mourning for the father he had never known. He looked up at Kowalski, who appeared quite shaken. The boy didn't understand why, though. After all, he was the one who had told him about his parents. He sighed and went on.

"Anyways, you survived the war, obviously, and when you came back home to mum, she was still heartbroken. She had already delivered the baby, a boy, and had named him in memory of her late husband. Everyone called him by a nickname given to him by you, though. Little Private James."

Kowalski's heart went out to the boy, who looked so downcast, fumbling with his hands on the fluffy white sheets. He had never heard Private's real name before. In fact, although it was quite silly, he had eventually forgotten about the boy's lack of a real name. He had gotten used to it, after knowing him for so long. Kowalski's attention snapped back to the present as his team member started talking again.

"Well, mum caught the bird flu or something and got really sick. The doctors couldn't save her. And so you raised me as your own. You went back to army life and fought in my parents' names. I grew up with the military. After a couple years, you got promoted and became a spy. We moved to the countryside to live a seemingly quiet life. Realistically, every few months you'd go out in some disguise and spy on enemies. Nobody ever suspected you. You were the greatest spy the army had to offer, but that didn't stop you. You went on to become the greatest parent, too. Even though our lives were anything but normal, you raised me properly. Played games, told stories, took me on outings to the beach...

We lived happily together for maybe... nine, ten years. But after that..." Private looked out into nothing and shuddered.

"The army called you up one day. They wanted you to obtain information about some suspicious activities up in the Arctic. I came with you, because even though it was dangerous, I was trained and wanted to help. So we traveled to the coordinates. I remember... there was a blizzard. We barely saw the igloo through all of the whiteness. But we stumbled through the storm to the igloo and slipped inside, where we saw a man on a segway, talking with some henchmen. Later I learned that it was the infamous Dr. Blowhole. He seemed to be focused on a computer screen, but before we knew it, a cage was upon us.

Apparently, he had planned the whole thing. He had known for years about the secretive Agent Nigel, and had finally decided to put an end to it. A team of soldiers had gotten a hold on his location and were planning on finishing the doctor off. But he was going to leave us in his place. So he wounded you, cut a deep gash in your stomach so you couldn't escape, and fled. I heard noises outside and saw some furry brown creatures that I thought to be badgers planting a bomb outside. You were unconscious, so I woke you up.

I tried to get you to leave, but you told me to save myself. You said you would be okay. I didn't want to leave you, though. You were all that I had left... my parents were dead and if you didn't escape..." Private's voice gave and he felt himself tearing up over his past.

Kowalski was stunned. That bomb... the "badgers"... no. It couldn't be. He remembered that day too, but from a different point of view. Back then, it had only been himself, Skipper, and Rico. Manfredi and Johnson were already long gone, and Private hadn't joined yet. The team had received a call from HQ, telling them Blowhole's location. Skipper was furious with the dolphin, and told his men that they were going to end it for once and for all. They went to the Arctic and found his igloo. With determination set in their faces, they put on fur coat disguises and planted a bomb next to the entrance. After the explosion, they hi-fived, bursting with joy from their victory. They thought they had finally won. But when the dolphin resurfaced weeks later, they never wondered what had happened inside of that igloo.

Private sniffed again and continued. "Let's skip that part. Afterward, I hopped on a chunk of floating ice and decided to start anew wherever it took me. I ended up near Texas somehow and took an interest in mini-golf." He sniffed and smiled. "It's a pretty silly story, actually. But I became a golfing prodigy by the name of Mr. Tux. I battled with a rival, the Amarillo Kid, until the need for victory overpowered me. After that, I knew I had to move again.

So I wandered some more, settling down several times and making new personalities, until something went wrong and I packed my bags and vanished. I know it sounds stupid, but ever since that day, I've been deathly afraid of badgers and I'm mildly claustrophobic. So that's why I can't wait to get out of this tiny room. It's so stuffy in here. Do you know when I can leave?"

Kowalski was still trying to take in the boy's story. Still, he tried to concentrate and answer the question. "In a few weeks, I think. I'll tell the doctors about your claustrophobia and try to convince them to let you out earlier."

"Thanks, Nigel." Private smiled. "I've missed you a lot, y' know."

Kowalski smiled back sadly, guilt weighing down on him. "I can imagine."

**Hey readers! Unfortunately, ideas for this story aren't popping up as readily anymore, so my updates might not be as often. : ( But hopefully, inspiration will come soon! In the meantime, you can check out some of my other stories. Thanks for reading! :D  
**


	13. POV

**Woohoo! 50+ reviews! Thank you so much to all my awesome reviewers. Sorry for the short filler chapter, but I need to kill off Private's hospital weeks. Here's a short text exchange between Private and Kowalski and their two different POVs/reactions.**

A few days later, Private sat in bed, switching through the channels. _So bored…_He glanced at the clock nearby, whose cold white face read nine o'clock. Visiting hours started at ten thirty, so Nigel wouldn't be coming for a while. The boy sighed and pushed his blonde hair behind an ear. He sat back after finally settling on watching Doctor Who.

He smiled at the British accents. Something about them seemed familiar… maybe one of his uncle's old disguises? Private reached for the glass of water and phone lying on his nightstand. He gulped thirstily and turned on the phone. He texted Nigel.

**What R U doing?**

He put the phone next to him and watched TV while he waited. By the time it rang again a few minutes later, the boy had to snap out of his Doctor Who induced trance. He read the text from his friend.

**Nothing much. Waiting for 10:30. What about you?**

Private tapped away on the small keypad. **Watching Doctor Who. Their accents are funny. :D**

About a minute later, the phone rang again. **Ok. :) I'll see you later, Private.**

** C U soon, Nigel. *hug* **The boy put the phone down and found that it was commercial break. He glanced at the clock again. Nine thirty. It was going to be a long hour.

XXX

Kowalski looked at the table below his bunk when ringing erupted from his phone. Skipper grabbed it and tossed it up to him. He caught it and flipped it open to reveal a text from Private.

**What R U doing?**

He thought about it. The scientist was laying back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Having guilt and worry consume him from the inside out and create a giant boulder that sat on his chest, forcing all the air out and leaving him unable to breathe. Thinking about how he was going to explain to the boy that he wasn't his Uncle Nigel and that he was really one of his beloved guardian's murderers. He tried to summarize it in his text reply.

**Nothing much. Waiting for 10:30. What about you?**

Only seconds passed before it beeped again. Private had written, **Watching Doctor Who. Their accents are funny. :D**

Wow. He just kept on getting reminded of how much he had broken the boy. Even so, he decided on playing along with the Nigel story for the time being. It was easier that way. He just needed a little more time to figure things out.

**Ok. :) I'll see you later, Private.**

Ten seconds later: **C U soon, Nigel. *hug***


	14. Unsaid Sorrow

** Thank you reviewers who inspired me to write this chapter! I decided on a short one-shot about how Skipper and Rico are feeling, since I haven't used their POVs very often. Since I'm only waiting for Private to leave the hospital for the plot to continue, time has actually been passing fairly quickly in the story these past few chapters.**

Skipper shut the door after Kowalski as the scientist left to visit Private. He sighed after the man was gone and received a questioning look from Rico. The leader shrugged it off like it was nothing, although he knew that it really wasn't.

Because he was secretly jealous of his team mate.

Why did Private think that _Kowalski_, of all people, was Nigel? He knew it was wrong to let his feelings get in the way when he wasn't the important one in this situation, but that was the problem. Importance. Skipper was used to being the leader. The one who everyone looked up to and depended on. But it seemed like, out of nowhere, Private got hurt and suddenly he wakes up and Kowalski becomes the most important man in his life. Not him.

Skipper was used to being looked up to by Private. He always thought that he was the closest to the boy, out of all of his team members. But apparently, he was now second best to his second in command.

Skipper groaned and smacked his forehead. He hated the way he was jealous. After all, these were two of the people he cared about the most! Why was he acting so selfishly? He walked over to the small bathroom and locked the door behind him. He ran cold water under the sink and rinsed off his face, staring at it in the mirror.

Just a few weeks ago, he was living happily as a penguin with his team. Why did he have to stretch it so far and end up getting Private hurt? He shook his head and turned the tap off, grabbing a towel to dry off his face.

He had more reasons for being jealous. He was jealous because he felt helpless. Private was scared of him. _Scared_. Kowalski had told him to stay low. But how could he? His team mate was hurt and he was supposed to stand back and watch? _No penguin swims alone_, was his credo. But they were humans now.

_Does that change anything?_

XXX

Rico looked up as Skipper sighed and shut the door after Kowalski. He gave his leader a questioning gaze, but the man just shook his head and turned away.

Rico was hurt. He was hurt by the way Skipper felt that he couldn't talk with him, he was hurt by the way Blowhole had managed to wound Private and they had been absolutely helpless, he was hurt by the way his younger team mate couldn't remember him and seemed afraid of him, and he was hurt by the way Kowalski seemed to be hiding something. He felt hurt because of the way his team had shut him out.

His team mates had always been there for each other, supporting the others' actions even through the toughest of times. But now... now it felt like they were falling apart. Usually, Private was the one who kept them together when things got rough emotionally. But their Private wasn't here right now. He was lost, somewhere in the back of his mind, waiting for the amnesia to clear up.

Rico clenched his fists. If Private's amnesia were a solid enemy, the man would've happily blown it up without another thought. But he couldn't. He hated feeling helpless, and he hated feeling unwanted even more. He could only imagine how Skipper and Kowalski were feeling.

And so, when Skipper exited the bathroom, Rico was there, waiting. And in an unusual display of emotion, Rico hugged his leader. They stood there in the dim hallway, two grown up, heartbroken men hugging each other and crying.


	15. Dream and Reality

**Hi guys! I'm back, after a LONG time. Anyone still remember me? No? Okay.**

**Well, after a certain reader inspired me to post more to this story, I finally did it. Sorry about the wait, but I hope you guys enjoy! :D  
**

**Also, special thanks to Drawer-Y on DeviantArt for making a wonderful tribute to The Last Note. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!  
**

**BTW, thanks for all of the reviews and favorites! Much appreciated. (And I'll appreciate it even more if you review this chapter as well! :D)  
**

Private twitched in his sleep, his fingers grasping at something unseen and his head flipping back and forth restlessly on his pillow. The boy was murmuring something unintelligible, though the desperation in his voice was evident.

_"Help! Someone help me!" Private called. He was dangling off of some sort of platform, loaded with golden treasure. The only things keeping him alive were his own fingers, the fingers that were slipping more with each second. Beads of sweat clustered on his forehead as he cried out for help again, knowing that it was useless._

_ He glanced down to see what awaited him when he fell. Bubbling red lava was reflected in his pale blue eyes and made his face burn with its heat. Private felt his fingers' last grips start slipping away on the smooth metal surface..._

_ His heart flew to his stomach as he lost his grip on the metal. He screamed out, knowing that it was too late already. Suddenly, there was a quick jerk and he wasn't falling anymore. There was a strong hand grasping his wrist, and his savior's head peeked out from the edge of the platform. A tingling sensation ran through the boy's body where his hand touched the other man's. Private tried to make out who it was, but the person's face was blurry. A familiar voice rang out._

_ "I've got you, Private. I won't let you fall." It wasn't Nigel, but the boy knew that he had heard that voice before. However, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it..._

_ Suddenly, Private found himself in an entirely different place. He was safely on solid ground again, in some sort of zoo-looking location. There was a young boy next to him, around five or six, with short tan hair and huge brown eyes._

_ He turned to see a group coming towards them, consisting of three men in military uniform and two others who were wearing exotic clothes, one young and one old. All of them had their shoulders slumped forward in defeat, and a few were sniffling. All of their facial features were blurry. One of them, who Private presumed to be the leader, was sniffing about lost team mates or something._

_ The leader looked up, and upon seeing Private, exclaimed loudly in surprise and rushed forward to embrace the boy in a giant bone-crushing hug. The same tingling sensation ran through him, engulfing his whole body this time. But it didn't hurt. In fact... it felt kind of nice. The hug was squeezing all of the oxygen out of him, and the man was hysterically jabbering on and on about never running off again, do you hear me? Private felt confusion wash over him as he realized that he wasn't really feeling the hug, and yet he knew what it felt like. But how? It was almost as if it was...real._

Private woke up with a start, taking in his surroundings. White… everything was white. White sheets, white room… _I'm in the hospital. _The boy slowed down his breathing, relaxing once he had figured out where he was. He noticed Kowalski sitting near the bed, having fallen asleep with a book in his hand.

"Hey, Nigel," Private said, waking the man up with a start.

Kowalski blinked before putting down his book and walking over to ruffle his team member's blond hair and smile.

"I had the strangest dream just now… I was on a platform, hanging on with only my fingers. Lava was underneath me and the platform was loaded with gold. Then I slipped, but someone caught me. After that, I was in..." Private frowned, concentrating. "Central Park Zoo, I think. There were some people coming through the gates, three soldiers and two foreigners. There was also a little boy next to me. Then one of the soldiers, the commander, I think, rushed over and caught me in a bear hug. But the dream... it didn't feel like a dream. It felt _real_, like it had happened before. You know what I mean?"

Private glanced over at the other man, looking at his stony face before breaking into a grin. "I know it's silly. How would it be real? Sounds too much like an Indiana Jones movie for it to be the truth. They'd probably call it 'The Treasure of the Golden Squirrel' or something. Wait, did I just say squirrel? I meant to say spirit."

Kowalski sat silent, thinking about it. He knew that the events in Private's dream had been real. The boy's old memories were returning subconsciously, but in a way he didn't notice. This could be his chance to tell him the truth. He looked over to Private, and suddenly a wave of nausea overwhelmed him. _Go on Kowalski, tell him!_ The scientist gulped nervously, and words forced themselves out of his clammy throat.

"I checked with the doctors. You should be getting out today." _What? That's not what you were supposed to say! _

Private grinned and sat up in bed. His voice broke Kowalski's guilt and swirling feelings. "Great. I'm so sick of this stuffy room. So where will we go?"

"About that..." Kowalski sighed. This next part would be difficult. "You know those two that you met on your first day here?"

"Both muscular, one short, one scarred?" Private faced his 'uncle.'

"Yeah. Well, I know you don't really like them, but they're my new team mates. We'll be living with them in a cottage not too far away."

Private's eyes widened. "We're living with _who_?"

X X X

Private absentmindedly scratched at his cast while Kowalski fumbled around for his keys. _Be nice,_ Kowalski had said to him earlier. _Just give them a chance._ The boy took a deep breath. _Be nice._

However, when the door swung open and the two men he had hoped to never see again jumped up and started toward the door, it was too much. _They had almost killed Nigel._ Private backed away slowly, his heart jumping up to his throat and his breathing tense. He didn't see Kowalski's concerned expression or hear his worried voice, asking if he was alright. He didn't even see Skipper or Rico, whose normally controlled faces now openly displayed how broken and hurt they felt inside.

All he could see was the igloo exploding, taking his uncle with it. And the heartless men who had killed him, grinning from ear to ear while high-fiving. They had killed the only thing he had left in the world to care about.

Private squeezed his eyes shut, breathing rapidly and trying to get rid of the memories.

He didn't hear the quiet bickering by the door, and didn't react until he felt a strong hand on his shoulder and a comforting voice by his side.

"Private? Soldier, are you alright?"

Private's eyes flew open. It wasn't Nigel. The shorter of the two men was standing in front of him, concern in his ice blue eyes. This was the man who had tried to kill his uncle.

This was also the man in his dream.


	16. The Truth

**Hi again! I meant to upload again last week, but being late a week is better than being late a couple of months, I guess. :P Again, didn't mean for that to happen. **

**This chapter's pretty short, but I hope you enjoy! Remember: reviews = :D (and faster updates!)  
**

Memories flooded back.

"_Let's go get some snowcones, Skippah!"_

"_Skippah, are you alright?"_

"_Would you like a Peanut Butter Winky, Skippah?"_

"_Skippah, help!"_

"_Skippah-"_

"_Skippah!"_

"_Skippah."_

Private gasped, his pupils dilating in his pale blue eyes. "Skippah-" he choked out.

Skipper's eyes widened. "Private?" he whispered tentatively.

Private backed away from Skipper's reaching hand and bit his lip as tears formed. He shut his eyes angrily and squeezed his hands over his ears, stumbling away from the house and into Manhattan. There were too many memories that didn't make sense, not in the least. He blocked out the calls from the others, telling him to come back, and ran as fast as he could, pavement flying underneath his feet.

He didn't think he'd ever run this fast before. Private's feet barely skimmed the concrete as he sprinted through crowds, cars, and people. At first, he heard the voices of Nigel and his teammates behind him, but they, along with everything else, quickly faded away as he ran.

"Private!" He barely heard Nigel give one last desperate cry, and he ignored it.

He didn't hear the angry horns honking from swerving traffic, he didn't notice the people who stumbled aside with muttered curses, and he most definitely didn't pay attention to the strange looks he got with every bound he took, and with every tear that fell.

Memories were crowding his mind. There were ones he recognized, ones with him and Nigel back in the country. But there were other ones, too. Memories filled with three teammates he didn't remember, and yet he knew them so well. Images flashed in his head.

Nigel teaching him how to swim. _"That's it. Not too hard, huh?"_

Skipper showing him how to fence. _"Chin up, soldier! Is that all you've got?"_

His parents' picture by his bed. _"They would've been proud, you know."_

Rico upchucking dynamite. _"KA-BOOM!"_

Kowalski mixing together chemicals. _"Now take this Megothium and add it here-"_

Wait, no.

_Nigel_ mixing together chemicals.

No, Kowalski.

Not Nigel. Not Nigel at all.

Private stopped on a dime, almost falling flat on his face and stumbling to keep his balance. People walked around to avoid him, isolating the boy in a patch of pavement. He felt just as confused inside. The man called Kowalski… he was Nigel. No.

He wasn't Nigel.

He was an imposter. Ni – _Kowalski_ was _pretending_ to be his uncle. All this time, since when he first woke up in that strange hospital room with the wounds he didn't remember getting. Private clenched his fists and bit his lip hard, tasting warm blood start to flow. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed into lost slits. If Kowalski wasn't Nigel, where was he? The last time he had seen his _real _uncle was-

_No._

"No, _no no no no_. No!" Private's eyes widened and he covered his mouth as realization dawned upon him.

The last time he had seen his uncle, his _real _uncle, Nigel had been killed.

And this time, it was going to stay that way.


	17. The Original Plan (not a chapter)

**Um... This isn't the next chapter, as you might have expected. It _is_ however, my original idea for Amnesia. Thought you guys might be interested. ;)  
**

**I probably won't post the actual next chapter until after Thanksgiving week. And also, I'm curious: a couple of you said you think you know where the story is going. I'd like to hear what exactly you think will happen. ;D Just curious. Post it in your comment! (Love those, btw.)  
**

**Again, this isn't the next chapter, but my rough draft version. I later scrapped it in favor for the current version.  
**

**Enjoy! :D  
**

Skipper directed his beak at Kowalski's ear and whispered loudly, "Kowalski!"

The scientist's eyes immediately opened wide and he fell off of his bunk, Skipper neatly sidestepping to avoid the tall penguin. Kowalski stood up and groaned, his flipper rubbing the side of his head. He stared groggily at his leader. Rico was standing nearby, also looking tired and stifling a yawn.

"What…" Kowalski looked at his leader, expecting a good answer for being interrupted from his dream. And he was about to get his Nobel Prize, too!

Skipper shushed him rather noisily.

"Keep your voice down, soldier! Don't wake up the private!" He gave a small nod towards the direction of Private's bunk, where the small penguin was still curled up tightly, clutching his bright pink Lunacorn.

"He is not to know of this mission," Skipper informed his two comrades. He motioned towards the ladder before climbing up himself.

Kowalski waited for Rico to go ahead before ascending the ladder himself. He shook his head to try to clear away his sleepiness. When the scientist stepped onto the platform outside, he shivered from the cold. Skipper closed the door to the HQ behind him.

"Men, as you all know, tomorrow is Private's birthday," Their leader started. Kowalski nodded and Rico heartily agreed. "Well, we still haven't gotten him a present."

The two chuckled guiltily. "So, Kowalski, options." Skipper pointed a flipper at the strategist.

Kowalski pulled out his clipboard and drew a quick diagram. "Private has been witnessed to act eager when the new commercial for the latest Lunacorn toy comes on." Rico nodded as the tall penguin pointed to his visual aid, a sketch of the penguin smiling at a TV displaying a Lunacorn. "Conveniently, so mentioned toy is being released tomorrow. In the morning, we can purchase one at the nearest Toys R' Us, which is…" He calculated. "…Two blocks away."

"Perfect." Skipper rubbed his flippers together. "We'll just send the private out to buy us some time while two of us get the doll. Rico, you're coming with me." The maniac nodded, his tongue flopping out. "Kowalski, you go with Private."

"Aye aye, Skipper." He saluted his leader.

The trio hopped back inside the HQ as dawn came. Private woke up at the sound of the fishbowl being opened. The small penguin rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Is everything alright, Skippah?" he asked in his light British accent. Private jumped out of his bunk.

Skipper smiled at him and patted the smaller one's head. "Just sunshine and roses, soldier."

"All right men, gather 'round!" he called. His three comrades obediently circled their leader. "As you know, today is a certain someone's birthday…" he winked at Kowalski and Rico and stopped at Private. "Happy birthday, Private." Their commanding officer did something rarely seen and hugged the small penguin.

Private smiled. "Thank you, Skippah."

Skipper let go and continued. "As a celebration, Kowalski and Private will go downtown to get the group snow cones and we'll take the day off. How's that sound, boys?"

The team nodded and smiled cheerfully. Skipper faced Kowalski and Private. "Well, better get going if you're to get back by noon."

"Aye aye, Skipper!" the two saluted him and climbed up the ladder.

Skipper watched them go, smiling, before turning back to Rico. "I'd say we'd better give them a good five minutes head start."

Kowalski and Private waddled along the sidewalks. _Better not belly slide if we're going to give Skipper and Rico enough time to get the Lunacorn, come back, and wrap it,_ thought Kowalski. He chuckled as he imagined them attempting to wrap the gift.

"What's so funny, K'walski?"

The scientist turned to see Private looking up at him with a smile on his beak.

"Ah, nothing. I was just remembering when you first joined the team," he smoothly covered.

"Oh. Yeah," Kowalski watched the small penguin smile and rub the back of his neck ruefully. "I wasn't very good back then, was I?"

"No," Kowalski laughed. "But it's alright. You were still very young." He glanced at his comrade. "You still are.

"But look how far you've come. From a bumbling chick to a down-to-Earth young penguin that anyone can grow to love and respect."

Private blushed.

"I mean, look at you. Who would've known you would grow up to be a fighter on a world-class commando team? And not only that, you're the team's heart."

The small penguin looked up at him.

"Sure, Skipper's got the leadership skills, Rico's got the insanity, and I've got the brains, but without you, our team wouldn't be complete. You're the missing piece, the one that brings us all together as a whole. You're the team's innocence and common sense." Kowalski looked ahead and smiled. "Without you, I'm sure we'd have gotten into a lot of crazy stupid things…"

He was startled when he felt Private hug him.

"Thanks, K'walski."

Later, Kowalski pulled out his clipboard and scribbled down some notes.

"What'cha working on?" Private peered at the scientist's clipboard.

"Ah, just a project I started a few days ago. I'm trying to figure out how to create a shape shifting device. I'm almost done, but I just need to invent a few more key components…"

"Oh," said Private.

He lagged behind Kowalski a bit to enjoy the scenery. There wasn't much to see save for a construction site ahead of them, though. The smaller penguin looked at his comrade from behind. The scientist was busy writing down some equations, immersed in the invention. Private glanced up at the skeleton of the building being built. Workers hadn't arrived yet, as it was still very early in the morning.

He wondered what Skipper and Rico were doing. Private liked to think that they were planning him a party or something, but he didn't want to expect too much. He shivered. Heavy winds were starting to blow, whipping Kowalski's papers around. The tall penguin didn't seem to notice much.

Private turned his head to watch a platform on the construction site. It was hoisted up by a few coarse ropes, and the violent winds shifted the plank to and fro. A few heavy pipes and an open toolbox rested on top. All of a sudden, giant gusts of wind made the platform tilt, sending its items tumbling. The small penguin watched the items fall. He suddenly snapped into alertness as he noticed a heavy duty knife somersault through the air, plunging toward…

"K'walski!"

Private leapt forth with all of his strength to shove the unsuspecting penguin out of the way. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. _This is it,_ thought Private. _It's been an honor._

Kowalski's turned his head as he heard Private yell his name and roughly push him forward. "Private?"

The scientist watched in horror as he saw his comrade's blue eyes widen in shock and pain as a large knife entered his body. Kowalski tumbled head over heels until his foot met the curb with a wrenching crack. He screamed in pain. The clipboard was flung away, slamming onto the ground with a snap as it broke in two.

"Private!" The tall penguin was frozen as he caught the sight of the pipes landing on the small penguin. There was a sickening crunch as the heavy metal pipes crushed Private. Then all was silent.

"Private!" Kowalski let out another shocked shout before trying to get to his teammate. When he attempted to get up, he fell back down, his face contorted in pain. His foot was broken. The penguin crawled over to Private. He pushed with all of his strength and managed to get rid of the pipes resting on the fallen soldier.

Kowalski's heart skipped a beat and his face fell.

"No…" The small penguin was facedown to the asphalt, lying in a pool of his own blood. Only the handle of the knife was visible sticking out of Private's back. One of his flippers was twisted in an unnatural way. Definitely broken.

Almost scared at what he would see, Kowalski gently rolled Private over. He was motionless, his eyes closed. His once cheerful face was replaced with a lifeless expression.

"No…" Kowalski repeated. "Private," he said, lightly shaking the penguin. "Private! You've got to get up!" There was frustrating silence. "You have to be okay, you have to! We're going to get snow cones and celebrate your birthday and you're going to be so happy when you get your Lunacorn…You have to…get…up…" Kowalski sobbed, hugging the limp penguin to him, his salty tears mingling with Private's blood.

Suddenly he held his comrade in front of him, tears blurring his vision._ If he hadn't pushed me out of the way… this would be me. _The cold realization hit him like a brick wall. _…this would be me…_

He hugged Private again. "Why?"

Skipper watched Rico burn a hole in the top of the fish truck. The flat headed penguin had his hands on his hips and a smirk on his face. _That fish will be ours soon…_He cradled Private's Lunacorn in one flipper. He looked down at it, satisfied. It seemed to smile back with its bright blue eyes. He could already imagine the look on Private's face when…

As Rico finished making an opening, Skipper heard static coming from his walkie-talkie, followed by Kowalski's voice. He motioned to Rico to stop for a moment.

"Skipper!"

"Don't worry, Kowalski. We've got the Lunacorn."

"Skip-" Kowalski started.

Skipper cut him off. "Rico and I just happened to pass a fish truck. We were stopping by to grab some extra fish as celebration."

"Ski-"

"Oh yeah, have you gotten the snow co-"

"Darn it, WILL YOU LISTEN?" Skipper was shocked by the anger in his teammate's voice. Rico came over, having heard Kowalski's outburst.

There was a shudder on the other end of the line, as if Kowalski were crying.

"Kowalski. Is everything okay over there? What's happening?" The smile dropped off of Skipper's face.

"No, everything's not okay." Kowalski's voice was shaky. "Forget the fish. There's no time to explain. I need you to meet me in the zoo, NOW." Then there was a click and silence.

"Kowalski? Kowalski?" Skipper hung up. Rico gave him a confused look and gestured towards the hole he had made.

"Not today, soldier. We have to meet the others-" Skipper broke off. Why hadn't Kowalski said anything about Private? He shrugged it off. _There's probably nothing to worry about_. "We need to get back to the zoo," he finished.

By the time Skipper and Rico had gotten back, Kowalski and Private still weren't there. After dropping off Private's present in the HQ, they decided to look for the other two. Just as they got near the entrance, Skipper noticed Kowalski's figure coming towards him, holding something in his arms.

_Snow cones?_

"Kowalski!" Skipper called out a greeting to him, smiling. However, he noticed Rico had a worried look on his scarred face.

"What is it, Rico?" he asked. "It's only Kowalski."

Rico shook his head. "Nah-uh, Pri'ate." He pointed.

Skipper squinted as Kowalski came closer. He noticed the scientist was crying. Was that… blood on his feathers? Then he saw the body in his arms.

"Private!"

Skipper and Rico belly slid up to the scientist, who they could now tell was limping heavily. The two were horrified to see their small comrade in Kowalski's flippers limp and apparently lifeless. Blood had turned his white feathers crimson.

"What… how?" Skipper managed to choke out.

Rico shook his head and pointed towards a small office. "Vet first!"

Skipper nodded. "Right." He looked at Kowalski. "I'll take him," he offered. He was surprised when Kowalski suddenly snapped at him.

"No! I'll take him! It's my fault…it's all my fault…" he sobbed. He snapped at the others if they tried to come even close to him. So they reluctantly followed behind, wincing as they watched their teammate limp slowly and painfully over to the vet, a few blood droplets trailing behind.

When Kowalski and Private entered the vet, Skipper and Rico watched worried from a window. There were a few small screams of shock when the nurses first noticed them. Skipper watched sadly as Kowalski lashed at the nurses when they separated the two. The taller penguin was taken away to another room. Skipper heard one of the doctors saying something about severe shock and a broken foot.

The two stayed at the window as the doctors clustered around Private, rinsing off the blood. Even Rico winced at the sight of all that red draining down the sink. They overheard murmurs of his injuries.

"Knife wound…punctured deep…vital organs…broken wing…severe bruising…two broken rib bones… possible concussion…"

Skipper turned away from the window, covering his ears with his flippers. He couldn't believe Private had been hurt so badly. Didn't want to believe. Rico found that he had tears forming in his eyes.

"Pri'ate…"

How could it have been that only this morning everyone had seen that he was his cheerful, loving self? How could this have happened so quickly? And how could this have happened to _Private_, of all people? He was the most innocent and caring of all of them! Why did it have to happen to him, today of all days? Why?

Skipper sat on the window ledge, tears streaming down his face. Rico joined him. They sat in silence for a while, unbelieving.

"What 'bout K'walski?" Rico asked, finally.

They were silent again, the only sound being that of Skipper's sniffles.

"Yeah, you're right. We'd better go check on him," he managed.

They gloomily waddled over to the nursery, where they would probably find him with a broken foot. They did.

The scientist was hunched over in a wheelchair, facing the achingly happy wall. He was back with his fuzzy bunny wallpaper friends. He hardly looked up when he heard Rico tap on the glass. He slowly wheeled over to face his team.

"How is he?" Kowalski asked.

"We don't know yet, but it sounded pretty bad," Skipper admitted. He looked Kowalski in the eyes. "What happened out there?"

"It's all my fault… if only I had been paying more attention to my surroundings, then none of this would've ever happened…" he sighed.

"I-I…" Kowalski shuddered. "I…"

"It's okay, soldier." The scientist looked up at his leader, tears in his eyes. "You don't have to tell us yet if you're not ready."

"Aye aye, Ski-" Kowalski attempted to salute but ended up breaking down into tears. Skipper hated to see him like this. He and Rico silently went back to the HQ, where the smiling purple Lunacorn was still waiting for Private.

**For the curious ones, after this, I was planning on having Skip and Rico overhear the doctor saying Private's injuries are too serious and that they're going to put him down. They would rescue him and, in order to save him, turn him human with that shapeshifter ray of Kowalski's. (Extra points if you remember him talking about it!) Then they'd all become humans (including 'Walski), and Private wakes up with amnesia. It then continues like this one. **

**(Oh, and later, it would be revealed that Blowhole actually severed the line that snapped and almost killed Private with the falling knife.)  
**

**Hope you enjoyed this!  
**


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